Bossburg
Bossburg is an unincorporated community, sometimes referred to as a ghost town, in Stevens County, Washington. History 1800s-1959 In 1888 silver was discovered in the hills above the northern part of the Columbia River. The Young America mine was established and drew miners and their families. Soon the mining company established a stamp mill and the steady increase in population prompted the development of a small town by the name of Millington. Bossburg had a maximum population of 800 in 1892. The town was once named "Young America," and "Millington." In 1892, it was renamed to honor two of the town’s citizens; Chester S. Boss and John Bergh. Chester S. Boss came west from Michigan after fighting in both the Civil and the Indian Wars. He was the first postmaster and storekeeper and was a member of the first school board. John Bergh was an influential pioneer and a clerk for the school board. The town produced lead and silver from established mines; however, when mining operations eventually slowed financial issues arose. A ferry system across the Columbia River was established, and a sawmill was built for lumber operations. The cable ferry, known as the Young America Landing, shuttled prospectors and freight wagons, bound for mining fields in British Columbia, across the Columbia River. The ferry was not alone on the river, it was sometimes accompanied by "Kootnei canoes" of the local Native Americans. Several Bossburg newspapers were published, notably the Bossburg Journal from 1893 to 1910, and the Bossburg Herald which was founded and published in 1910 for only one year. Following construction of Grand Coulee Dam, the rising waters of the Columbia only took the west part of town. After the mining era passed the population decreased rapidly. In 1956 the school district was dissolved and the students were sent to Marcus and then eventually to Kettle Falls. 1960-Present In 1969 there was the discovery of the footprints in the snow of a supposed Sasquatch known as "Cripplefoot," followed by several other legends. In January 1969, Joe Metlow, a prospector told Bigfoot hunters he had a Bigfoot immobilized in an abandoned mine shaft and that he had sold it. The Bigfooters said that they "would top your best offer," and a bidding war ensued. John Green, a Canadian Sasquatch researcher, and a journalist and editor in his day job, came and got involved in a way that offended Dahinden.10 Metlow declined to give anyone a peek for $1000. Bids topped out at $55,000, which called his bluff, and interest fizzled when he wouldn't bite. On November 24, 1969, large human-like tracks with a crippled-looking right foot were found near the Bossburg town dump. (Earlier that year a woman had reported seeing a Sasquatch in a nearby location to the police.) The track maker was believed by some to be an injured Bigfoot and was dubbed by locals as the "Bossburg Cripple"; it is now generally known as "Cripplefoot." On November 27 Bigfoot searcher René Dahinden arrived to investigate, but by then the tracks had mostly been trampled by sightseers. Dahinden photographed and cast the best print he could find. He was joined for three days by another searcher, Bob Titmus, who returned about a month later. After looking for two weeks for new evidence, Sasquatch-searchers Ivan Marx, a Bossburg resident, and René Dahinden finally found it. On December 13, 1969 they discovered 1089 giant human-like tracks in the snow leading to, from, and across a river near Lake Roosevelt, near Bossburg. They were joined later by anthropologist Grover Krantz, who took photos and made casts, and later, intermittently, by Patterson film-maker Roger Patterson and his assistant, Dennis Jenson, who stayed full-time. Casts and/or photos of the tracks were later studied by primatologist John Napier and anthropologist Jeff Meldrum. Those scientists became convinced of the tracks' authenticity. René Dahinden, a notable "Big Footer," was also impressed by the tracks, but was suspicious of certain circumstances. One circumstance was that before he and a passenger had seen the tracks, driver Marx pulled over, got out, and walked off, returning shortly thereafter and explaining that they had to leave immediately to retrieve his camera equipment, since he had just found tracks. This was just after they had passed an empty Jeep parked beside the road, whose inhabitants, René considered, might have been in the process of returning from their track-making. The Jeep was gone when they returned. But, ultimately, he accepted the tracks as authentic. Ivan Marx phoned René Dahinden on October 1970 and said, "I've got a film of the crippleBigfoot." Bigfooters flocked back to Bossburg. After viewing his film, nearly all were convinced of its authenticity and a bidding war for rights ensued. However, Bigfooter Peter Byrne paid attention to a couple of children who had been saying that they knew where the film had been shot. When he arrived there, he discovered that the features of the site were inconsistent with what Marx had claimed about the circumstances of the filming and the height of the subject. Subsequent investigation turned up more red flags, and belief in the film evaporated. Peter Byrne wrote a detailed account of the episode, as did Michael McLeod. The Bossburg cemetery has several unmarked graves, as records were poorly kept. Geography South of Bossburg is Evans and Powell. To the west is the Columbia River and to the northwest over a mountain range is Barstow. Williams Lake is to the east, and the community of Onion Creek further inland to the east. To the northeast is Ryan and Marble. Northport is about 20 miles north. Bossburg is located at 48°45′9″N 118°02′27″W. Category:Cities & Towns Category:Ghost Towns Category:Stevens County Category:Washington State Wiki